Sarah Palin’s Husband Files for Divorce, Why Now?

A divorce is in the works for Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and GOP Vice Presidential candidate.

Sarah, 55, and her husband Todd Palin, 55, have been married for 31 years, but just last week Todd has filed for divorce citing “incompatibility of temperament” as the official reason.

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What Went Wrong?

“Incompatibility of temperament” is not something that you see cited as reasons for a divorce in the public eye, but this is what Todd Palin listed as his reasons for filing.

This is basically a very nice way of saying that the couple can’t stand being around each other anymore. It implies a pattern of disagreements or a fundamental difference in thinking.

Once a couple hits 30 years of marriage, you have to think that you will be with that person forever. To have such an announcement is a surprise to everyone, except perhaps the couple.

The two have 5 children together, Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig. In the divorce papers, Todd has asked for shared custody of their 11-year-old son Trig, who has Down Syndrome.

Sarah’s Political Career

While Todd has made an effort to stay as far away from the spotlight as possible, Sarah has had no such interest. She was the governor of Alaska from 2006 to when she resigned in 2009 before her 4-year term was up.

In 2008 she was Senator John McCain’s running mate in the presidential election, going up against – and ultimately losing to – Barack Obama and Joe Biden. During the election cycle, Palin always had an interesting or questionable quip for reporters, like the time she told them that she could see Russia from her back yard.

Todd was in a snowmobile accident in 2016 that resulted in several broken bones and a collapsed lung but has otherwise stayed away from headlines, even as his wife ran for major office. He was active and involved in her political career – Todd just chose to support her from the sidelines, instead of taking center stage.

The Children

Of the 5 children the couple have together, several have also been in the news… though rarely for something positive. Bristol Palin was on MTV’s Teen Mom before stepping away from the role to focus on her family.

Track Palin was accused of breaking into his parents’ home in late 2017 and assaulting his father but plead to lesser charges in 2018. He was sentenced to a year in custody later, after a woman accused him of assaulting her, taking her phone, and refusing to allow her to leave his home.

So far, neither Todd nor Sarah have made an official statement regarding their separation and impending divorce.